As the European Union sets its priorities for the coming five years, the Architects’ Council of Europe launches its Declaration and Policy on Architecture and Sustainability. The effects of climate change are being felt all over the globe and politicians are responding by establishing new, innovative policies and actions to combat those effects. The European Union is a leading force in this fight and it is working to establish ambitious actions, legislation and targets for its Member States and in the context of the global negotiations for the post-Kyoto period. Recognising that coordinated and well-considered action in the construction sector can play a big part
in the fight against the effects of climate change, the Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE1) will launch its Declaration and Policy on Architecture and Sustainability at a Seminar in Brussels on Thursday 24th
September. The Seminar is being held in the context of the save-it energy efficiency days2 that has being organised by the European Economic and Social Committee and that will run from the 22nd to the 25th September at the Quai Aux Briques in central Brussels. It is a well-recognised fact that the best and most accessible way to achieve significant improvements in energy efficiency is to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, both new and existing. The ACE Seminar will demonstrate that the ACE and its Member Organisations are taking the challenge of Climate Change seriously and that there are exemplary projects all over the EU that are already in use
and that have been conceived and built with sustainability and dwindling resources in mind. The ACE Declaration and Policy on Architecture and Sustainability contains, among other things, concrete goals and commitments that the architectural profession, as represented by the Member Organisations of the ACE, can undertake in order to ensure that our built environment is both sustainable and of high quality. In the coming years it is expected that the architectural profession will play a more and more prominent role in these issues in order to safeguard the future for future generations and to ensure a high quality of life for all in the EU where nearly 80% of the population already live in urbanised areas. To receive a copy of the publication, please send a request to: info@ace-cae.eu with your postal
address or download a pdf version at the following address:
http://www.ace-cae.org/MemberN/Content/EN//docs/brochure_06-2009.pdf
Note:
There are still a few places available for persons wishing to attend the ACE Seminar and the official launch of the
ACE Declaration and Policy on Architecture and Sustainability. In order to get full information visit:
http://www.ace-cae.org/docs/aceinfo/overview/A&S_Invitation_Final.pdf
1 The Architects' Council of Europe (ACE) is the European organisation representing the architectural profession at European
level. Its headquarters and Secretariat are located in Brussels. Its growing membership consists of Member Organisations,
which are the nationally representative regulatory and professional bodies of all European Union (EU) Member States,
Accession States, Switzerland and Norway. Through them, it represents the interests of about 480,000 architects. The principal
function of the ACE is to monitor developments at EU level, seeking to influence those areas of EU Policy and legislation that
have an impact on architectural practice and on the overall quality and sustainability of the built environment.
2 For full details of the event, visit: http://eesc.europa.eu/events/OVERSHOOT-DAY/index_en.asp